The stunning footage shows the whales in a completely natural habitat, entirely unaware that they're being watched from the skies.

CNET reports that capturing the whales as family groups isn't just about getting incredible footage, it's also part of a huge observational project by the two organisations to study and monitor how the whales are coping in low-food situations.

From a birds-eye view the researchers are also able to distinguish key physical features such as whether a female is pregnant or if a whale is unwell.

This invaluable information then helps inform their understanding of how the whales behave with each other showing why they would be more affectionate to one member of the group, but not the other.